MacKinnon, Kucherov making the race for the Art Ross Trophy a must-watch fight

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov are highlighting the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the league leader in points, and Kucherov has claimed the trophy twice in his career so far, winning it most recently last season.

Right now, Kucherov and MacKinnon are both tied for 115 points, making the race a must-watch.

Today on Daily Faceoff Live, Tyler Yaremchuk and Colby Cohen discuss the Art Ross Trophy race and why it’s so exciting to watch.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Nathan McKinnon and Nikita Kucherov are all tied up right now. Kucherov has one more game on his schedule than MacKinnon, and if he can grab this wind and get the Art Ross for a second straight season, he will be only the third player since the year 2000 to win the Art Ross and back-to-back seasons. What’s the percent chance that you think Nikita Kucherov wins the scoring race with that extra game in hand?

Colby Cohen: I’d say 50% good old-fashioned coin flip. You know, what do you think, Tyler?

Tyler Yaremchuk: The reason I think this is kind of interesting is because Tampa has so much more to play for, and I’m curious if Colorado is gonna sit there and maybe not take Nathan MacKinnon out of games but manage those minutes a little bit, so I actually think I’d go higher on Kucherov. I think, I’d go 80% chance. They got the extra game and a little bit more to play for, that’s two big factors.

Colby Cohen: The one thing I’ll say, the competitive spirit of Nathan MacKinnon and not that Nikita Kucherov isn’t at the same level. I mean, we’re talking about the freaks of the National Hockey League, they’re not just NHLers, they are among the freaks. These guys are so competitive, and I bet they are watching it too, but I think MacKinnon’s gonna put his foot to the floor here and he’s gonna wanna win it as well.